Aceh city bans women from straddling motorbikes

Matt Campbell

Women may soon be forced to ride side-saddle on the back of motorbikes in Aceh, Indonesia. Photo: Rahmat Yahya

Women could soon be forced to ride side-saddle on the backs of scooters in the Indonesian city of Lhokseumawe after the mayor introduced a regulation to stop female passengers from straddling the bike.

According to a report from the BBC, the mayor of the Indonesian city located in the Sharia-governed province of Aceh, Suaidi Yahya, said the move was designed to protect people's morals and behaviours.

"When you see a woman straddle, she looks like a man. But if she sits side-saddle, she looks like a woman," Suaidi told the BBC.

Suaidi said women riding in the conventional manner as a passenger were in violation of Islamic values.

The rule is not yet officially a law, but is due to be assessed after a month. If it is then passed as a by-law, Suaidi said there would be penalties for those caught disobeying the law.

Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla questioned the validity of the new law.

He said "the public's commonsense" would assess whether the regulation was justified.

"How to ride a motorbike is not regulated by Sharia. There is no mention of it in the Koran," he tweeted.